The real truth about AI & automation (Part 3: What can kids teach us?)

In Part 2, I promised to offer some advice, on how we could improve the success of our AI and automation initiatives. Well, the first piece of advice I would give anyone is: never promise to write a series of articles on LinkedIn! You make yourself a hostage to fortune, or in my case, endless WEBEX meetings that have interrupted my week ...

Part 2 revealed some sobering figures:

• 0% of Telcos had adopted zero-touch process automation (5G Maturity Index)
• 80% of AI Proof of Concepts had not progressed to live deployments (Telco AI).

When you boil it down, AI and automation projects, are essentially about change. Successful change needs to address people and process, not just technology.  Therefore, a centrally co-ordinated strategy is required. For example, a lack of data science skills is a key barrier to Telcos successfully adopting AI. But rather than simply hiring data scientists, we might want to look at the problem more holistically. What about ensuring that our people are more data literate?  These "Data Citizens" could then act as a multiplier, supporting pure data scientists in the creation of new AI solutions. They could also help us apply these AI solutions in the real-world, acting as advocates to encourage their use in the daily operations.

A less conventional approach might be to look at what children can teach us about problem-solving. There are three key principles, that I believe could help with AI and automation initiatives: open thinking, collaboration, and iteration.

1. Open thinking: kids don’t have any legacy that ties them down, or preconceptions that limit their thinking. No ideas are "off limits", and when presented with a challenge they produce a wide variety of solutions. In telecoms we have to accept that traditional methods of operating networks are reaching end-of-life.  We need to be open to new ideas – wherever they come from – and there are plenty from other industries that can inspire us.
2. Collaboration: kids don't worry much about organisational boundaries, internal politics, or roles and responsibilities – they have all of that still to look forward to! When it comes to AI and automation, no single Telco operator or vendor can have all the answers.  So as well as products, we should think about building partnerships, and creating ecosystems. We need to work together as an industry, to prepare networks and operations for the 5G era. 
3. Iteration: kids don't spend endless hours planning projects with GANTT charts, and creating detailed roadmaps that need be examined with a microscope. Of course, planning itself has value, but kids get hands-on almost immediately. They quickly start building lots of different prototypes, rather than trying to plan the perfect solution. They don't know it, but essentially they are practicing what adults call "DevOps".  The pace of change is getting ever faster, and to keep up it is essential to become more agile. When implementing AI and automation, we should create Minimum Viable Products (MVPs), that can be quickly tested with operations teams, and then rapidly improved and iterated. 

Finally, as we look to the future, should we be optimistic or pessimistic? Personally, I believe that we have no choice but to be optimistic, and you can find more on Nokia's thinking here. We have to believe in the power of AI an automation to solve the known challenges of today, and the unknown demands of tomorrow.  

More importantly, as all parents know, Christmas is less than 3 weeks away. Now, more than ever, is a time to believe in magic!